1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The stasis at the beginning of this play takes place in New York City during the evening of July 4th. Although not given an exact time period, we are given the show's premiere date and the stage notes at the beginning of the play. In the initial directions under 'Time', we are told that the play takes place during the present. Since the play premiered in 1984, it is safe to assume that the time of the play is around this period as well. The play begins with our main character, Val, a black New York City cop, running after Willis, a white man who has tried to commit grand theft auto. Val is the central character of this play, and he is who we experience the play with. As the play unfolds, the dramatic situation that occurs is how each character must come to terms with how they view justice. During the play, the audience is shown two sides of the same coin, and, by the end of the play, each character must choose a side.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrustion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
The intrusion of the play occurs near the end of Scene 3 during Act 1. During this scene, Val and his cop friend, Charlie, are sitting at a bar. Before the end of the scene, Val remarks that, if Willis had been black, maybe he wouldn't have shot him. This line is significant, because this is the first time that he appears to try to distinguish between the man and the crime. This affects the way he thinks and reacts to other characters during the rest of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor in this play is that this is the day Val kills Willis.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Should Val admit what really happened between him and Willis? Will Val tell the truth?
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
Throughout the entire play, Val is continually fighting a constant battle with himself. In the beginning, we see a confident Val arguing with a persuasive Willis. On the surface, Val is fighting with another man, physically and mentally. However, as Willis continues to speak, we see Val's confidence drop significantly until he shoots Willis in cold blood. With this shot, there is a part of Val who has died along with Willis. During the next scene, we get our first real glimpse of Val's battle with society and, most importantly, the law. Val has lied to the police captain, Parker, about what actually happened. Val has lied to a police officer, the embodiment of law and order. Val continues to remain in flux with his wife Alea, and his father Rusty. Alea believes that he should withhold the information while Rusty believes that he should tell the truth. Both characters (although well-intentioned) only cloud Val's judgement, thereby strengthening his inner struggle. However, Charlie gives a more varied and complex interpretation. Charlie is more like Val then anyone else in the play. Charlie not only accepts the truth, but he also accepts the lie. At the end of his scene Charlie states, plainly, that "...that's just the way it is...". This implies that, unlike Val, Charlie accepts his fate. If anything, I think this helps comfort Val. He then, finally, tells his dad how he truly feels. He and his dad have gained much-needed closure. At the end of the play, he tells officer Parker during the hearing that he killed an armed Willis in self defense. In the stage directions, it describes how the life seemed to have gone out of him. He, like Charlie, has finally accepted his fate.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The most theatrical moment of this play is when Val shoots and kills Willis. Another theatrical moment during the play is the last conversation between Val and Rusty. Each character goes back and forth, finally sharing his true feelings for the other.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first big image of Split Second is that of the police office. There is a certain type of idea that people have when they think of a policeman. He is suppose to not only be a model citizen, but he's suppose to go above and beyond those minimum standards. Another unique image in the play is the gun. There is a saying: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people". Val was not forced to shoot the gun; he did it of his own volition. The last important image of this play is the cuffs. They represent the containment of one's power. Not only could Willis not physically defend himself, but he could not defend himself in a court of law as well. The cuffs could also allude to the oppression of innocent African-Americans.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
The two main themes of this play are justice and family. What is justice? For some, it is the execution of law and order. For others, it is down to what is morally just. The idea of justice takes many forms in this play. Another important theme of this play is family. Specifically, it is what family means for each character. Their ideas of family are quite different from each other. Other themes in the play include oppression, honesty, and closure.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
A lot of the play centers around how Val feels he'll be viewed by his wife, Alea ,and his father, Rusty. Both characters not only offer different ways to handle his situation, but they also give different interpretations for what it means to be a family. For Alea, it means being there. It does not matter if Val is ridden with regret, what is most important is that he remain with his family. Rusty, on the other hand, believes that family comes down to the essentials. During one conversation, Rusty discusses how he was able to make a rather good living as a cop and that he was able to provide for his family. Although understanding of both opinions, it seems that Val does not align completely with either opinion. This only strengthens his own battle between him and his inner struggle.
The stasis at the beginning of this play takes place in New York City during the evening of July 4th. Although not given an exact time period, we are given the show's premiere date and the stage notes at the beginning of the play. In the initial directions under 'Time', we are told that the play takes place during the present. Since the play premiered in 1984, it is safe to assume that the time of the play is around this period as well. The play begins with our main character, Val, a black New York City cop, running after Willis, a white man who has tried to commit grand theft auto. Val is the central character of this play, and he is who we experience the play with. As the play unfolds, the dramatic situation that occurs is how each character must come to terms with how they view justice. During the play, the audience is shown two sides of the same coin, and, by the end of the play, each character must choose a side.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrustion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
The intrusion of the play occurs near the end of Scene 3 during Act 1. During this scene, Val and his cop friend, Charlie, are sitting at a bar. Before the end of the scene, Val remarks that, if Willis had been black, maybe he wouldn't have shot him. This line is significant, because this is the first time that he appears to try to distinguish between the man and the crime. This affects the way he thinks and reacts to other characters during the rest of the play.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
The unique factor in this play is that this is the day Val kills Willis.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
Should Val admit what really happened between him and Willis? Will Val tell the truth?
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
Throughout the entire play, Val is continually fighting a constant battle with himself. In the beginning, we see a confident Val arguing with a persuasive Willis. On the surface, Val is fighting with another man, physically and mentally. However, as Willis continues to speak, we see Val's confidence drop significantly until he shoots Willis in cold blood. With this shot, there is a part of Val who has died along with Willis. During the next scene, we get our first real glimpse of Val's battle with society and, most importantly, the law. Val has lied to the police captain, Parker, about what actually happened. Val has lied to a police officer, the embodiment of law and order. Val continues to remain in flux with his wife Alea, and his father Rusty. Alea believes that he should withhold the information while Rusty believes that he should tell the truth. Both characters (although well-intentioned) only cloud Val's judgement, thereby strengthening his inner struggle. However, Charlie gives a more varied and complex interpretation. Charlie is more like Val then anyone else in the play. Charlie not only accepts the truth, but he also accepts the lie. At the end of his scene Charlie states, plainly, that "...that's just the way it is...". This implies that, unlike Val, Charlie accepts his fate. If anything, I think this helps comfort Val. He then, finally, tells his dad how he truly feels. He and his dad have gained much-needed closure. At the end of the play, he tells officer Parker during the hearing that he killed an armed Willis in self defense. In the stage directions, it describes how the life seemed to have gone out of him. He, like Charlie, has finally accepted his fate.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The most theatrical moment of this play is when Val shoots and kills Willis. Another theatrical moment during the play is the last conversation between Val and Rusty. Each character goes back and forth, finally sharing his true feelings for the other.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first big image of Split Second is that of the police office. There is a certain type of idea that people have when they think of a policeman. He is suppose to not only be a model citizen, but he's suppose to go above and beyond those minimum standards. Another unique image in the play is the gun. There is a saying: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people". Val was not forced to shoot the gun; he did it of his own volition. The last important image of this play is the cuffs. They represent the containment of one's power. Not only could Willis not physically defend himself, but he could not defend himself in a court of law as well. The cuffs could also allude to the oppression of innocent African-Americans.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
The two main themes of this play are justice and family. What is justice? For some, it is the execution of law and order. For others, it is down to what is morally just. The idea of justice takes many forms in this play. Another important theme of this play is family. Specifically, it is what family means for each character. Their ideas of family are quite different from each other. Other themes in the play include oppression, honesty, and closure.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
A lot of the play centers around how Val feels he'll be viewed by his wife, Alea ,and his father, Rusty. Both characters not only offer different ways to handle his situation, but they also give different interpretations for what it means to be a family. For Alea, it means being there. It does not matter if Val is ridden with regret, what is most important is that he remain with his family. Rusty, on the other hand, believes that family comes down to the essentials. During one conversation, Rusty discusses how he was able to make a rather good living as a cop and that he was able to provide for his family. Although understanding of both opinions, it seems that Val does not align completely with either opinion. This only strengthens his own battle between him and his inner struggle.